The Metabolism Miracle For Women Over 40

If you're like many women over 40, you've probably noticed that it's become a lot easier to gain a few pounds than to lose them. The foods that you ate without care in your 20s and 30s now stick to your body like glue, adding bulk to your midsection. The good news: The solution to a slim, firm body at 40-plus is no farther than your fridge. Research shows that, when combined with a little regular exercise, what you eat and when you eat it are your metabolic secret weapons for building muscle mass, the body's prime calorie-burning tissue and a key driver of your metabolism.

"The main culprit that slows metabolism and often leads to yo-yo dieting is what I call shrinking muscle syndrome," says Caroline Apovian, MD, director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center and the author of The Overnight Diet: The Proven Plan for Fast and Permanent Weight Loss. Starting at age 30, most people begin to lose about half a pound of the metabolism-revving tissue each year. Poof! Gone, just like that. And at age 50, the rate doubles. "The average sedentary woman may have lost nearly 15 pounds of muscle by the time she reaches her late 50s, a change that could cause her to gain nearly the same amount in body fat," says Wayne Westcott, PhD, a Prevention advisory board member and the director of fitness research at Quincy College in Massachusetts.

But too-tight jeans, a puffy midsection, and an increased risk of diabetes don't have to be your future. (Your chances of winding up with all of the above increase with each pound of muscle you lose.) Here's how to safeguard muscle mass and turn up the heat on your body's natural calorie-frying furnace.

Here's how to get started:• Eat healthy, protein-rich foods to support calorie-burning muscle mass, and follow a moderate-calorie diet.• Strength-train twice a week to fight muscle loss.• Squeeze in quickie cardio workouts 3 times a week to hike all-day calorie burn.

Read on to discover exactly how to get your metabolism fired up again!